Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd (ljredd52@aol.com) has a B.A. in Political
Science and Ethnic Studies (University of San Francisco), a M.P.A.
(Golden Gate University), an administrative credential, and a M.A. in
Educational Administration (San Francisco State University). He is also
the author of The Black Expatriate in Africa (1982), Journey to the
Motherland: From San Francisco to Benin City (2002), History to Destiny
Through Afrocentric Poetry (2003), Loving Black Women (2006), and Long
Distance Love (2010), an autobiographical love story about a struggling
writer-school administrator who travels to Nigeria after a 24 year
absence.

In the context of Long Distance Love this poet, writer and school
administrator sits in his principal or site leader's office and
dreams about returning to Nigeria and writing a new novel. A good
Nigerian friend then decides to introduce him to his niece in Lagos,
Nigeria. The relationship blossoms online, through the telephones and
through letters. Ukali travels to Nigeria for the first time in 24 years
to meet his lovely fiance to be. While he waits and goes through the
finance visa process, he writes some of the most beautiful poetry ever
written while professing his love to Ese. Ese is younger than Ukali.
Eventually a visa is given after 4 years and his young fiance arrives,
only to get cold feet and returns to Nigeria.

While in Nigeria Ukali flies to his beloved Benin City and
upcountry to a village called Ubiaja in Edo State in Nigeria, 80 miles
up country where he runs into twin politician friends whom he had not
seen for 24 years. What a friend's reunion! How do you think this
story ends? One will need to read to the conclusion to see how this
autobiographical love story of an African-American and a Nigerian
unfolds. The book and other resources by the author can be accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt athrdpsr1?encoding=UTF8&
search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Larry% 20Ukali%20Johnson-Redd

The United States of Africa
The Unification
Of a strong Black nation
made up of all continental African states
Is empowerment for liberation
Marcus Garvey and
Kwame Nkrumah
Put it on the table
Africa needs growth that is stable
The beginning of the end
of White Supremacy
And the release of
New positive African energy
Empowered by our own unity
Ending feelings of Black inferiority
Africa sings a unity song
Unite and make Africa strong
Somalia are you ready
North and South Sudan
Ethiopia and Zimbabwe
Africa Unite today
So get it together
In our mind
You will find
Empowerment for our kind
Unity that is homegrown
Greater than the world has known
Africa uniting on its own
To make Africa strong
Unite African states
Empower the African people not the snakes
Follow authentic Africans
Ignore the African fakes
Though the time
has come
We have to
convince some
Nigeria are you ready
South Africa are you steady
Calling on Ghana, Kenya and the Congo
Unite so Africa will be free
Mali, Ivory Coast
And Senegal
Can you hear the call
Equatorial Guinea, Bissau
and Guinea Conakry
Can you
feel me
What about Libya
and Namibia
Egypt
and Tunisia
Angola and Madagascar
Tanzania, Zambia and Gambia
Will you come together?
To empower Africa forever?
Together we will
end the poverty
Empowerment must emerge
The product from the African entity
More trade with
Each other
One currency in unity
United my sister and my brother
More cultural exchanges
As we unite in many stages
More Black People More Black Land
Empowerment and respect the African
All Continental African nations
All African locations
From the islands to the mainland
African women and the African man
Unite our motherland
Empower our African destiny
Unite continental African nations
As an African Federal State entity
African brothers and sisters
Hear this call
United we stand
Divided we fall